The story of the crab apple tree began this spring when it awoke with an explosion of red and pink blossoms. Bees and butterflies were frequent visitors to the blossoms as they sipped the sweet nectar. Its branches provided a nesting place for the birds and shade for t...

Over the past week I have spent a considerable amount of time attempting to identify the swallowtail pictured above.  To me the world of swallowtails is quite confusing.  There are hundreds of swallowtail species and when I attempt to navigate the subtle differences in...

Finding beauty in the ordinary requires us to be constantly aware and mindful of our surroundings. Such is the challenge with the Painted Lady, the most common butterfly in the world. They are frequent visitors to Eighty Acres and are often found on cone flowers and th...

 An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail stopped by Eighty Acres to sip sweet nectar from the garden phlox.

Dancing and whirling she announces her arrival dressed in a gown of silky dark gossamer trimmed with red, orange and yellow buttons. She sips the cone flower's sweet nectar, flutters her delicate translucent wings and quietly speaks to me as she floats away on the wind...

 The Painted Lady Butterfly flirted with each flower in the garden as it danced, caressed, fluttered, spread its wings, and then suddenly said goodbye with a gentle kiss.   

 Each year Eighty Acres experiences the magic and mystery of the the Monarch Butterfly's  transformation from a tiny egg to a dancing butterfly.  The caterpillar or larva stage pictured above is a true eating machine.  It eats milkweed leaves for several days before sp...

Often times dancing gently on the tree tops of Eighty Acres are the Eastern Tiger Swallowtails. They are the largest butterflies on Eighty Acres with a wing span between 3-6 inches. From the tree tops they flutter to earth and gather the sweet liquid nectar from pink a...